PRB and Paprec-Virbac 2 - neck and neck

by Event media on 16 Nov 2007
The final position report of the day has the two leaders - PRB and Paprec-Virbac 2 - neck and neck as they race into the Atlantic.

Some 60+ miles back Estrella Damm is being pushed by Temenos II, while positions fifth through eighth are tight as well with just 16 miles between Veolia Environnement and Hugo Boss.

Educacion sin Fronteras is the sole entry to remain in the Mediterranean Sea. Next position update will come at 06:00 GMT Friday.

Estrella Damm is finally out of the Gibraltar Straits to leave behind what has been quite a painfully calm Mediterranean stretch in the first stage of the Barcelona World Race to Gibraltar.

Their new challenge will be to prevent the two leading boats getting away on a northern wind which may well have disappeared by the time the Altadill-Mckee tandem get to the area. However if the northerly moves further east, it could well pay off for the Spanish team.

Weather models are not proving to be as reliable as they usually might be and the next few days promise to bring a lot more emotion and uncertainty in the Gibraltar to Canaries stage, the next gate for the Barcelona World Race.

'I hope we get to sleep more now we are out of the Mediterranean. It is always more tiring there because of such variable wind conditions.'

When exhaustion starts to set in the teams’ competitive edge really rears its head, 'just the thought that the others might be near really keeps you pushing forwards,' says Altadill 'Jonathan also listens to his ipod a lot, but when I’m sailing I don’t like to listen to music, don’t ask me why!'

Such close quarters for the teams can have their consequences; it seems Guillermo has finally recovered from a touch of the flu, and it is now his co-skipper Jonathan Mckee who is suffering.

At the latest position report 18:00h GMT Estrella Damm remains in third place 62 miles behind the two leaders PRB and Paprec-Virbac 2.

Positions at 18:00 hrs 15 November 2007